Alaska University Transportation Center

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1 Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Alaska University Transportation Center Structural Health Monitoring and Condition Assessment of Chulitna River Bridge: Training Report Prepared By: J. Leroy Hulsey, Ph.D., P.E. Patrick Brandon Feng Xiao University of Alaska Fairbanks, College of Engineering and Mines December 2012 Prepared For: Alaska University Transportation Center Duckering Building Room 245 P.O. Box Fairbanks, AK Alaska Department of Transportation Research, Development, and Technology Transfer 2301 Peger Road Fairbanks, AK INE/AUTC FHWA-AK-RD-12-10

2 REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form approved OMB No. Public reporting for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestion for reducing this burden to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA , and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project ( ), Washington, DC AGENCY USE ONLY (LEAVE BLANK) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED FHWA-AK-RD December 2012 Final Report (7/1/ /31/ TITLE AND SUBTITLE Structural Health Monitoring and Condition Assessment of Chulitna River Bridge: Training Report 6. AUTHOR(S) J. Leroy Hulsey, Ph.D., P.E. Patrick Brandon Feng Xiao 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) Alaska University Transportation Center P.O. Box Fairbanks, AK SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) Alaska Department of Transportation Research, Development, and Technology Transfer 2301 Peger Road Fairbanks, AK FUNDING NUMBERS AUTC# DTRT06-G-0011 T PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER INE/AUTC SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY REPORT NUMBER FHWA-AK-RD SUPPLENMENTARY NOTES 12a. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE No restrictions 13. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 words) The Chulitna River Bridge, built in 1970, is located at Historic Mile Post on the Alaska Parks Highway between Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska. The Parks Highway is the most direct route connecting Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Prudhoe Bay. Heavy overload vehicles with loads up to 410,000 pounds regularly travel this route. The original bridge was 790 feet long, with five spans and is a continuous bridge with two exterior steel plate girders and three sub-stringers. It had a cast-in-place concrete deck 34 feet wide. In 1993, the bridge deck was increased to 42 feet 2 inches by replacing the original cast-in-place deck with precast concrete deck panels. To accommodate the increased loads, the two original exterior plate girders were strengthened, three new longitudinal steel trusses were installed utilizing the original stringers as top chords, and steel bracing was added to the piers.in August, 2012, the research team will design and install a real time fiber optic structural monitoring system on the bridge to determine if the girders are over-stressed for standard highway loads and permit vehicles. The final working thresholds will be established for automated notification if changes occur in structural response or established thresholds are exceeded. After September 2012, the research team will continue monitoring and analyzing the experimental data until December 31, The test results will be used to identify changes in load distribution for the girders and trusses. It will also be used to identify if structural changes occur. Further, the information will be used to provide alerts when sensing systems approach or exceed established limits. It will also be used to develop a protocol to apply an SHM program to bridge monitoring on other bridges in Alaska. 14- KEYWORDS: Structural health monitoring (Grs), Fiber optics (Dsmmd), Data collection (Xbkc), Information storage and retrieval systems (Xbkn), 15. NUMBER OF PAGES PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF REPORT 18. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE 19. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF ABSTRACT N/A 20. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified N/A NSN STANDARD FORM 298 (Rev. 2-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std

3 Notice This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document. The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document. Quality Assurance Statement The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement. Author s Disclaimer Opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in the report are those of the author. They are not necessarily those of the Alaska DOT&PF or funding agencies.

4 SI* (MODERN METRIC) CONVERSION FACTORS APPROXIMATE CONVERSIONS TO SI UNITS Symbol When You Know Multiply By To Find Symbol LENGTH in inches 25.4 millimeters mm ft feet meters m yd yards meters m mi miles 1.61 kilometers km AREA in 2 square inches square millimeters mm 2 ft 2 square feet square meters m 2 yd 2 square yard square meters m 2 ac acres hectares ha mi 2 square miles 2.59 square kilometers km 2 VOLUME fl oz fluid ounces milliliters ml gal gallons liters L ft 3 cubic feet cubic meters m 3 yd 3 cubic yards cubic meters m 3 NOTE: volumes greater than 1000 L shall be shown in m 3 MASS oz ounces grams g lb pounds kilograms kg T short tons (2000 lb) megagrams (or "metric ton") Mg (or "t") TEMPERATURE (exact degrees) o F Fahrenheit 5 (F-32)/9 Celsius or (F-32)/1.8 ILLUMINATION fc foot-candles lux lx fl foot-lamberts candela/m 2 cd/m 2 FORCE and PRESSURE or STRESS lbf poundforce 4.45 newtons N lbf/in 2 poundforce per square inch 6.89 kilopascals kpa APPROXIMATE CONVERSIONS FROM SI UNITS Symbol When You Know Multiply By To Find Symbol LENGTH mm millimeters inches in m meters 3.28 feet ft m meters 1.09 yards yd km kilometers miles mi AREA mm 2 square millimeters square inches in 2 m 2 square meters square feet ft 2 m 2 square meters square yards yd 2 ha hectares 2.47 acres ac km 2 square kilometers square miles mi 2 VOLUME ml milliliters fluid ounces fl oz L liters gallons gal m 3 cubic meters cubic feet ft 3 m 3 cubic meters cubic yards yd 3 MASS g grams ounces oz kg kilograms pounds lb Mg (or "t") megagrams (or "metric ton") short tons (2000 lb) T TEMPERATURE (exact degrees) o C Celsius 1.8C+32 Fahrenheit o F ILLUMINATION lx lux foot-candles fc cd/m 2 candela/m foot-lamberts fl FORCE and PRESSURE or STRESS N newtons poundforce lbf kpa kilopascals poundforce per square inch lbf/in 2 *SI is the symbol for th International System of Units. Appropriate rounding should be made to comply with Section 4 of ASTM E380. e (Revised March 2003) o C

5 Table of Contents 1. Acknowledgements Executive Summary... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3. STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEM OVERVIEW Fiber Optic Cable Fiber Bragg Gating Fiber Optic Sensor Arrays Advantages of Fiber Optic Sensors a) Stability b) Non-conductive c) Convenience LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. System Configuration 5 Figure 2. Fiber Optics 6 Figure 3. Light Transmission in Fiber Optic Cable 6 Figure 4. Fiber Bragg Gating 7 Figure 5. Core Refractive Index 7 Figure 6. Fiber Bragg Gating Light Reflection 8 Figure 7. Fiber Strain & Corresponding Wavelength Change 8 Figure 8. Seven Fiber Optic Sensors in One Array 10 1 P age

6 1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We want to thank the contributions by Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (AKDOT&PF) Research Section and AKDOT&PF Bridge Design for assistance and help in making this research possible. We want to thank Angela Parsons (AKDOT&PF) who made it possible for this difficult research project to be permitted so that work could begin within two months of the project proposal being accepted for implementation. Further, the authors want to thank Clint Adler (AKDOT&PF Research) and Drew Sielbach (Bridge Management Engineer), Gary Scarbough (Bridge Inspection Manager), Elmer Marx (Senior Bridge Engineer), and Richard Pratt (Chief Bridge Engineer) at AKDOT&PF Bridge Design. We also want to thank the contributions by Kathy Peterson, Diane Wallace and Billy Connor at the Alaska University Transportation Center (AUTC). The efforts by Sandra Boatwright and Fran Peterson at the Institute of Northern Engineering (INE) were essential to the success of this research. We also want to acknowledge the contributions by the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department in the College of Engineering and Mines at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. 2 P age

7 2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In July of 2012, Alaska University Transportation Center (AUTC) was invited by Chandler Monitoring Systems Inc. (CMS) to Atlanta, Georgia to provide training: a) in the operation of structural health monitoring systems and b) sensor installation. The objective of this trip was to develop a thorough understanding of fiber optic sensing technology, data acquisition software and the installation and maintenance of the system as a whole. While in Georgia, the AUTC group, comprised of AUTC s Associate Director Dr. J. Leroy Hulsey, Ph.D. student Feng Xiao and undergraduate student Patrick Brandon worked closely with CMS and Micron Optics, the developers of the strain gauges, data acquisition hardware and software to develop a structural health monitoring (SHM) system that would meet the needs of the Chulitna River Bridge SHM Project. AUTC met with CMS in mid-july at their headquarters outside Atlanta. The first three days of training consisted of covering the fundamental theories behind fiber optic sensing systems. Once the AUTC team had developed a basic understanding of the system, CMS gave the team members hands on training including fiber splicing, sensor installation and sensor calibration. AUTC also toured the Micron Optics manufacturing facility in Atlanta Georgia. Micron Optics was the manufacturer selected to provide the strain gauges, interrogator, multiplexer and the data acquisition software called IntelliOptics. The following report outlines the selected structural health monitoring system configuration and a description of how t optic sensing technology is used to monitor bridge behavior. 3 P age

8 3. STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEM OVERVIEW The structural health monitoring system used on the Chulitna River Bridge is composed of five parts: sensors, sensor multiplexer, sensor interrogator, local computer and remote computer (Figure 1). The interrogator is the main component of the optics system. The sensor interrogator sends four optic signals (lasers) via four channels from the McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge communications room to the sensor multiplexer which is located at the bridge. The multiplexer is composed of four switchers; these four switchers distribute the incoming four laser channels to sixteen channels. Each of the sixteen channels is capable of supporting a sensor array of up to eight sensors. That laser signal, via the multiplexer, is sent to each sensor array. The laser signal is then reflected back to the interrogator by mirrorlike imperfections in the fiber strand at each of the sensor locations. These imperfections, called fiber Bragg grating (FBG), change in dimension when strained. This strain in the grating produces variations in the laser wavelengths that are reflected. Each sensor in an array contains a unique FBG that only reflects specific wavelengths exclusive to that sensor back to the interrogator. The interrogator then interprets these optic signal reflections and transforms the optic signal to a digital signal and sends it to the local computer. The local computer then calculates stores and exports the data to a remote computer via DSL internet (Figure 1). In this study, the local computer and the sensor interrogator is located 1.3 miles from the bridge in a controlled environment utility room at the McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge at MP 133 North Parks Highway. This is the first time, the local computer system and sensor interrogator has been placed off of the bridge. The idea is to provide better long term stability through a controlled temperature environment and to minimize chances of damage to the equipment by weather, people, animals or other factors. 4 P age

9 Figure 1. System Configuration 4. FIBER OPTIC CABLE Fiber optic cable is composed of three layers: the core, the cladding and the buffer coating (Figure 2). The core is made from a high density glass and is the part of the fiber optic cable that conveys the light signals. The main cladding is made from a lower density glass that acts to contain the light signal within the core (Figure 3). The buffer coating is a protective coating that encapsolates the cladding fiber. This buffer coating can be ordered in varuis compositions depending on the required protection requested by the customer. Some common coatings include metal jacketing, kevlar lined plastic and low temperature plastics. 5 P age

10 Figure 2. Fiber Optics The glass core has higher refractive index than the glass cladding. Because of this, signal light is reflected back to the glass core. The glass cladding works to limit light loss from the core (attinuation). Because of this cladding, signal light can travel great distance in the glass core with relativly low light attinuation. Figure 3. Light Transmission in Fiber Optic Cable Modern fiber optic cable is durable, light and cheap; a far cry from fiber from the past. The fiber being used on the Chulitna River Bridge is a nine-micron, carbon fiber weaved, cable. This cable is capable of being bent into a six inch radius without any light attenuation. 5. FIBER BRAGG GATING All optic sensors measure temperature, strain, acceleration, displacement and rotation by measuring strain within the fiber optic strand at the sensor. The strain developed within the fiber strand is produced in many ways, thermal strain (temperature sensor), strain due to stress 6 P age

11 produced by the base material (strain sensor), mechanical systems within the sensor (displacement sensor), and many more. The strain experienced by the fiber is made apparent by changes in the dimension of the fiber Bragg Grating (FBG). This grating is composed of evenly spaced imperfections in the fiber cable core. These imperfections act as small mirrors that reflect select wavelengths of light back to the data interrogator (Figure 4). Each grating reflects only pre-determined light wavelengths, allowing the rest of the light to pass uninhibited. Figure 4. Fiber Bragg Gating Figure 5. Core Refractive Index The optic signal originates at the sensing interrogator. The interrogator sends out discrete light wavelengths in cycles that range from 1510 nm to 1590 nm. The interrogator used on the Chulitna River Bridge Project has a cycle rate of 1 khz (1,000 cycles per second). This cycle capacity is reduced by the multiplexer to 250Hz (250 cycles per second). This reduction by the multiplexer is necessary to expand the signal from four channels to sixteen. In simple terms, the 250 Hz speed means that data from every sensor on the project can be recorded 250 times a second. These light signals are then reflected back to the interrogator by the sensor s FBG (Figure 6). From that point the interrogator interprets the incoming light signals and transfers them to digital data that is recorded by the on-site computer. 7 P age

12 Figure 6. Fiber Bragg Gating Light Reflection There are several external factors which can change the distance between each Bragg reflector, such as strain, temperature, etc. All of which affect the wavelength of the reflected light. Expansion of the FBG will result in longer reflected wavelengths. In the same way, compression of the FBG will reduce the wavelength of the reflected light (Figure 7). Figure 7. Fiber Strain & Corresponding Wavelength Change Sensor wavelengths are sent by the Multiplexer on the bridge by buried dark fiber to the sensing interrogator located at the Mt McKinley Princess Hotel. The optic sensing interrogator interprets changing wavelengths and transfers them to digital signals. The local computer then stores the incoming data via IntelliOptics software (produced by Micron Optics Inc.) on-site and also sends the data to a remote server via DSL internet. In this study, the remote server is 8 P age

13 located at the University of Alaska Fairbanks at the Institute of Northern Engineering about 350 miles from the bridge. The University, AKDOT, and Washington State University have real time access to the system and can obtain reports. At this point, five users are provided User name and password privileges. Three users are at AKDOT and two users are on the research team at UAF (J. Leroy Hulsey and the PhD student, Feng Xiao). 6. FIBER OPTIC SENSOR ARRAYS The optic sensing interrogator sends out a wide-spectrum of light in wavelengths ranging from 1510 nm to 1590 nm. Optical sensors only reflect pre-determined wavelengths back to the interrogator. The wavelengths returned by each individual sensor are unique to that specific sensor in that array. These specific wavelengths act as digital fingerprints, identifying what sensor the returned light belongs to and its corresponding strain. Each optic sensor occupies a 5 nm wavelength range within an array. There is an available wavelength range of 80 nm within the nm signal range. This means that a series of sensors can be installed in an array using one continuous fiber. The sensors downstream of the initial sensor reflect other ranges of wavelength light to the interrogator. It is standard practice to space the sensors 5nm apart to avoid any possible signal overlap. This means that there is a 5 nm wavelength range that is unused between each sensor s reflectable light range. In this configuration, around eight fiber optic sensors can be put into use in one fiber optic cable and work as one sensor array (Figure 8). 9 P age

14 Figure 8. Seven Fiber Optic Sensors in One Array 7. ADVANTAGES OF FIBER OPTIC SENSORS a) Stability Fiber optic sensors are stable compared with the traditional foil strain gage. Light signals are capable of being transmitted over very long distances with low signal transmission loss. Fiber optic sensors are composed of mainly glass and protective coverings, if sealed properly; they are practically corrosion free generating long-term stability. b) Non-conductive Fiber optic sensors have the advantage of using non-conductive signal transmission. This means they are free from electromagnetic and radio frequency interferences. Fiber optic sensors have practical applications in urban areas where serious signal interferences are present. c) Convenience The fiber optic sensors and their cabling are very small and light, making it possible to permanently incorporate them into the structures. Also, several sensors can be installed on one array, meaning up to eight times less cabling as with conventional sensors. Much less than their electric counterparts; foil strain gauges which require a minimum of two cables per sensor. Fiber optic sensing systems simplify cable layout, shortening the installation period and saving on installation costs. 10 P age